Waiting for the Light
by Hakase Fudou
Summary: Kiku finds out Takeru has returned after a long six months, or so she was told. Determined to bring her friend back, she visits him every day. Pre-VRAINS.


Waiting for the Light

 _A Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS one-shot_

 _Summary: Kiku finds out Takeru has returned after a long six months, or so she was told. Determined to bring her friend back, she visits him every day._ Pre-VRAINS.

* * *

 **~ After the Incident: 6 years old ~**

When her parents told her that her best friend came back, she couldn't wait to see him. He'd been gone for too long! Six months! Not a letter, not one of those fake leafy symbols he came up with, not a word to his other friends in the class. He just disappeared without a trace. And it worried her sick.

But, she'd never tell him that in a million zillion years.

Kiku held her stuffed pink bunny and held her papa's hand as they walked from the receptionist area to his room. She didn't particularly like visiting hospitals because they smelled funny, but she really wanted to see Takeru more than anything. So, she held her breath as she and her papa passed through all the other patients' rooms until, at last, they reached his.

135 B – Homura, Takeru.

The six-year-old girl clutched the bunny tighter in her hand and skipped towards the room, almost bumping into two people walking out of the room. She blinked a couple of times and looked up to see two pairs of gentle eyes staring at her. Her mouth opened wide with a smile after recognizing them.

"Homura jii-san! Homura baa-san!" Kiku jumped in place.

"Oh my? If it isn't Kiku-chan," the elderly woman greeted her, extending her hand out to smooth Kiku's hair, having been done in two braids. "I bet you're here to see Takeru, right?"

Kiku nodded energetically. "Uh-huh!"

The two Homuras as well as Kiku's papa laughed, causing Kiku to tilt her head in confusion, not quite understanding what was so funny. But, in a matter of moments, all three of the adults' faces changed to something more serious and spoke in hushed voices. Kiku didn't quite understand what they were talking about, but she did manage to catch Takeru being mentioned. She strained her ears to listen.

"He didn't take the news well, so try not to bring the subject up around him," Homura jii-san said. "The boy's gone through so much as it is already."

Kiku felt her heart skip a beat. Gone through so much? Just what on Earth happened to him? She glanced up at her papa and the two Homuras. They were all sad, and Kiku clutched her bunny out of reflex.

"I understand. Come on, Kiku," Kiku's papa urged his daughter, who perked up at finally being paid attention to. "It's time to say hello to Takeru."

* * *

When she saw him, it felt like he never disappeared. Kiku could hardly contain her excitement and ran up to his bedside.

"Takeru, welcome ba-" she started to say - but stopped short when she took a careful look at her previously missing friend, her smile being replaced by a frown and her eyebrows showing concern. It was definitely Takeru, she was sure of it. Everything about him was the same except.

His eyes.

Kiku didn't know how else to explain it, but normally, Takeru had this shine – a light – in his eyes. It didn't matter what he was feeling. That shine was always there, being more obvious the more emotion Takeru showed. Even if he was feeling sad, it was there. He always tried to see the good in everything, and Kiku hung around him because of that. She liked that attitude and being with him. And that light.

But, now, that shine was gone. Someone took it from him.

And that frightened Kiku, almost enough to make her cry. Shaking her head furiously and swallowing hard, fighting off the tears, she forced herself to look at her lightless friend. Six months. Six months too long. She couldn't give in to her fear. Takeru was more important than her fear.

"Take-Takeru?" she finally had the courage to ask.

No reaction.

"Takeru, it's me, Kiku."

The boy only continued to stare straight ahead. Kiku knew then that wherever he was these last six months, he was still there. And he couldn't hear her. The girl felt a soft but firm hand rest on her shoulder. She looked up, letting a few tears escape, to see her papa, who shook his head.

"Papa . . ." Kiku whimpered.

Kiku's papa pulled up a chair by Takeru's bed – Takeru still unaware of the world around him – and sat.

And sat.

And sat.

Finally, he spoke. "Takeru, it's me."

Again, no response. A waterfall of tears was waiting to be released, but Kiku dammed it shut. She clutched her bunny the tightest she's ever had.

"Not going to talk today, huh?" her papa sighed, getting up. "We'll come back another time then. Let's go, Kiku."

Kiku took one last look at Takeru, who hadn't moved a centimeter since they came.

"Bye bye, Takeru."

She managed to keep it together, even managing to ignore the hospital smell that she hated, until she and Papa got in the car. Then the dam was broken.

* * *

Despite the initial shock of Takeru's condition and not completely understanding what happened to him, Kiku insisted that Papa take her to see Takeru every day until he could leave.

"Are you sure, Kiku?" Papa asked. "You're not a bad friend if you don't see him every day -"

"Please!" The little girl implored. "Maybe he won't talk to me. And maybe the Takeru I know hasn't come back yet. But I need to see him! Please, Papa!"

Papa sighed and eventually took her to the hospital to see him. Every day for the next month and a half.

Every day would be the same. Kiku would find Takeru staring blankly in front of him, that infectious light still nowhere to be found in his eyes. Although his expression still scared her, her fear was no match for her desire to bring her friend back. To defeat the fear monster, Kiku found it was best to just talk with Takeru about her day at school. Kiku's newest friend – she had no problems striking a conversation with kids she doesn't know -, the animals she saw on her way to the hospital, the dreams she had last night involving talking clouds and dancing frogs. Or penguins, in some cases. Usually frogs, though. Maybe a hedgehog?

Takeru might not have heard her or even understood what she's saying. And she did feel like giving up at times. But, someone had to bring him back. It was her duty as the best friend.

One afternoon, after the month and a half, Kiku and her papa went to the room as usual. But, instead of finding Takeru sitting, staring straight ahead in his bed, they found him standing by a window.

"Oh, what's this?" Kiku's papa rubbed his chin.

Kiku could feel the corner of her eyes water and didn't think twice before shouting out, "Takeru!"

Even if he didn't hear, even if her calling out to him was in vain, Takeru standing by the window was one step closer to the way things used to be. And Kiku couldn't have been happier.

She gripped tighter her pink rabbit, her loyal companion in this journey to bring her friend back, and made her way towards the boy.

"Kiku, wait," her papa called out, but she continued walking until she was standing next to her friend. She glanced over, trying to decipher the boy's expression as she listened to footsteps travel towards her. What eyes await her? Would she be able to finally, finally see her friend today?

At first, Takeru's eyes looked the same as ever, and Kiku felt her heart sink a little inside her chest. Blinking slowly, however, the girl saw something different, something familiar.

A glint. It was faint, but she was certain

The shine. It had returned.

"Tak-Takeru!" Kiku screamed, throwing her weight against the boy in a hug. She felt a pressure similar to the one she was giving. Normally, she'd pull away, not wanting to get too mushy or anything like that. But, she was willing to make an exception this time.

He had finally come back.

"Kiku . . ." the boy whispered. The young girl let go of him, and she was able to look at him head-on. His smile was worn, and he still looked tired beyond belief, but he was standing up and that shine had returned. That's all that mattered to Kiku.

That was her cue to wipe her nose and eyes furiously, pouting. "It's about time you came back, Takeru! I was actually really really worried about you, you know," she scolded.

"Kiku," her papa scolded, but Takeru gave a little laugh as a response.

"My bad, Kiku. But . . . it's been rough. I - I didn't want to be gone for that long. But, I couldn't leave. I . . . I couldn't leave . . ." Takeru's eyes became filled with tears, causing Kiku's to also well up. She gave the boy another hug, not knowing what to say at first. She didn't know what he had to go through when he was gone for six months, but it was finally clear to her it wasn't by choice.

She could sense that he didn't want to talk about it, and maybe he wouldn't want to talk about it ever, but that was okay by her. He was here, and that was all that mattered.

"But you're here now, Takeru," she said. "Welcome back."


End file.
